The XLVI APCC Session / Ministerial Meeting in Apia, Samoa

Due to the tsunami that hit the country on 29th September 2009, the XLVI APCC Session / Ministerial Meeting has been re-scheduled from 1 - 4 December 2009 to 2 - 5 February 2010 in Apia, Samoa. The Government of Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will host the meeting. The Honorable Taua Tavaga Kitiona Seula, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and current APCC Chairman will preside the meeting. His Excellency Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of the Government of Samoa will be the Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker in the Inaugural Session. 

Some 50 participants including the Vice President of the Government of Kiribati, Hon Ministers from the Governments of Fiji, Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, plenipotentiary delegates and senior government officials from 15 the APCC member countries, and officers from international organizations, and other UN-related agencies involved on coconut research and development will attend the meeting. The EU Delegation for the Pacific, UN-FAO, ACIAR, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and others will likewise be represented in the meeting.

The meeting will discuss the Country Statements of all the plenipotentiary delegates of APCC member countries including the statements by representatives of UN agencies and international organizations. Emphasis will be made on the achievements of the PNG Declaration regarding coconut replanting/planting and programs/projects towards increasing coconut production in APCC member countries including new policies in the coconut industry. The APCC Secretariat believes that documenting the progress and achievements related to the PNG Declaration is very important in view of the need to address the problem of low coconut productivity due to the senility of palms in all APCC member countries. We believe that there is a need for strong political will and commitment by Government policy decision-makers to accelerate the coconut replanting/planting and rehabilitation programs. Increased coconut farm productivity will not only ensure food security among the smallholders but should also contribute to supply reliability and global competitiveness of the coconut industry.

National programs to increase coconut farm productivity in existing lands or in existing coconut farms with relatively younger palms through inorganic and organic fertilization, intercropping or coconut based farming systems will also be highlighted. We believe that there is great potential to increase coconut production in existing lands or in existing farms without necessarily opening up new lands for coconut.

The Session will also deliberate, among other items in the Agenda, on the proposed APCC Quality Standards for 15 coconut products as recommended by the APCC International Workshop on Quality Standards of Coconut Products held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The APCC Secretariat believes that to enable the member countries to gain a foothold in the export market, a compendium of harmonized international quality standards of the various coconut products be published to provide as guidelines or reference to all coconut processors, traders, exporters and buyers. We believe that the quality of our coconut products affects their acceptability among buyers and consumers. It also influences the price and the competitiveness of our coconut products in the global market.

As a concrete indicator that the APCC is indeed growing as a coconut family, the Session will likewise take up and endorse the applications for regular membership of the Government of Tonga and the associate membership of the Government of Jamaica.

We therefore look forward to a fruitful XLVI APCC Session / Ministerial Meeting in Apia, Samoa.